Yes. TAP deployments in this market are on the increase and as a result we have worked with numerous expert partners in this area. To learn more please contact a member of our VoIP sales team at sales@networkcritical.com

Can two network devices e.g. a switch and a router communicate on a gigabit copper segment with a Critical TAP deployed in between?

Yes, all Critical TAPs are designed to be non-intrusive and fail-to-safe, this means that when a gigabit copper TAP is deployed into a gigabit copper link there is no impact on the communication between the end devices.

Network Critical offer a wide choice of products housed in a robust 1U (19”) chassis, ranging from a single TAP up to 20 TAPs. Depending on what your requirements are for 10/100/1000, Optical etc, will determine the minimum and maximum numbers of TAPs you can have in the chassis. Network Critical can also offer bespoke TAP solutions in this form factor if required. If this is of interest please contact us at sales@networkcritical.com

Network Critical have a wide variety of products for various deployment scenarios, so please call our sales team for details of one of our recommended Critical TAP channel partners, who in turn will provide you with a quotation.

I have inserted one of Network Critical Optical TAPs into our network we are having problems with the end device not launching.

Care must be taken to select the appropriate split ratio to match the light budget for any particular link. There are various methods to achieve this please refer to calculating light budget in the support area of this site.

A “passive TAP” has no affect at all on the network after it is installed, it is completely invisible to any other device and traffic. An “active Tap” is also completely invisible to the actual network, however the active Tap allows the IDS or network monitoring solution to inject TCP reset packets back onto the live network.

What type of cables, straight or cross over, do I use to deploy a Critical TAP?

The cabling of a Critical TAP is one of the most important parts of the deployment, and it is vital to get it correct so that the fail-safe feature of the device actually works. Cabling is different for each model and cable guides are inlcuded in the User Guide for each TAP, but the general rules for cabling are firstly to make sure the TAP is not powered up, then connect cables to each side of the TAP and to the end devices. When both end devices are showing the link is up, then you can power up the TAP and check the link status again. If the link is still up then the cabling is correct.

In order to determine the correct fibre split (70:30, 60:40 etc.) for your solution, you will need to first of all determine your light budget calculations i.e. understand how much light (dB) loss there is across the component parts of your solution. One of the simplest methods of understanding these figures is to use a light meter reader.

Network Critical TAPs have been tested and subsequently recommended by I.S.S., Enterasys, Symantec and Computer Associates. In many cases the Critical TAPs have also been selected for use in-house by these leading security vendors.

There is no such thing as the “most popular” fibre split, as every deployment of Fibre TAPs is unique to the environment it is being deployed in. The correct choice of split ratio (70:30, 60:40 etc.) is determined by a number of factors including cable length, device (NIC) launch values, number of devices in the chain (including the CriticalTAP) etc. as all of these will have a varying level of dB loss, which can affect the overall light budget and thus the performance of the solution.

Product Finder

Solutions

Are you having trouble accessing the data in your network? Offering a range of network visibility controllers, Network Critical can provide you with EXACTLY the right Access Technology Solution to fit into your network infrastructure.

What network tools are you currently using or are looking to use in the future?